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Free screenings for diabetes are becoming more common in pharmacies and even in big-box stores like Walmart. You may also be able to get a free blood sugar test at your local hospital. But before you go, it’s important to understand the limitations of this blood sugar test. "In most cases, the diabetic test given at a free screening is a point-of-care blood sugar test," says Shannon Knapp, RN, a diabetes educator at the Cleveland Clinic. These tests measure blood sugar with a finger prick and a glucose monitor. "Free screenings for diabetes are beneficial but have a higher error rate than blood sugar testing done in a doctor's office," Knapp notes. "They may be given at health fairs, community centers, or local pharmacies, but they are not a substitute for your primary care doctor."

There are reasons that free screenings for diabetes may be an early indicator of the disease but don’t provide a complete picture on their own. "To diagnose diabetes, you need two elevated fasting blood sugars," explains Cindy Mathiasen, RN, a diabetes educator at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. "It's important to know that if you have free screening for diabetes without fasting, the results are not very useful. Any abnormal diabetic test needs to be followed up with your doctor."

Why Get a Free Screening for Diabetes?

The purpose of this type of screening is to serve as an early alert and cut down on the damage done by type 2 diabetes by uncovering it and addressing it early, before you have symptoms of diabetes. And because more than 25 million Americans have diabetes and another 73 million are at risk for the disease, early diagnosis of diabetes is more important than ever.

More reasons for screening include:

You can find out whether you have a type of diabetes called pre-diabetes, which starts before full-blown type 2 diabetes.

A blood sugar test may detect pre-diabetes up to seven years before you have symptoms of diabetes.

Early diagnosis enables you to start self-care with healthy lifestyle changes, like increasing exercise and losing weight.

Who Should Get Screened for Diabetes?

Screening is for people who do not have symptoms of diabetes. Anyone might benefit, but there are recommendations for who is most likely to benefit. "Anyone age 45 or older should begin testing," says Mathiasen. "If you have risk factors for diabetes, you should consider getting tested at an earlier age." Screening guidelines include:

People age 45 or older should be screened by their doctor every three years.

People over age 30 should be screened if they have type 2 diabetes risk factors.

Risk factors that should be considered for screening include being overweight, having high blood pressure, having high blood lipids, having a close relative with diabetes, and being a woman who had diabetes during pregnancy or gave birth to a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds.

Anyone with sustained blood pressure greater than 135/80 should be screened.

Free screenings for diabetes are often available at hospitals or medical centers. Other options include pharmacies and shopping centers. Here are some screening resources to check out; offerings vary from location to location and state to state, so check online or call before going for a diabetes screening:

Remember that a free screening for diabetes is no substitute for a fasting blood sugar test at your doctor's office. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, diabetes screening at health fairs and shopping malls often fails to be beneficial because people fail to follow up with an office visit. "Talk to your primary care doctor about your risk factors and find out what the best screening program is for you," Knapp advises.

TELL US: Have you been tested for type 2 diabetes? (Note: Mobile users won’t be able to comment.)

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